Celebrating 10 Years in Business
Happy Birthday: USA and PSG!
July 7th marks our first decade as the Pearson Strategy Group, a milestone for any company, large or small. I founded PSG out of the sincere belief that my research and technical expertise could help others streamline the tedious and expensive processes of patent research and product development. I’m proud to report that my clients agree! I love helping them have the edge over their competition.
As a Navy veteran, I am also proud to salute our nation’s birthday on July 4th as we recover from a global pandemic that darkened much of the last year. I think we are entering a period of unprecedented innovation, and I look forward to growth and prosperity for those with new ideas and processes.
PSG is ideally situated to help inventors, entrepreneurs, and forward-looking companies. If you’ve been wondering about patent research and whether competitive patent information could help your business, let me know.
– Steve Pearson
PSG NEWS and INSIGHTS:
New Service: Patent Register Alerts
I am rolling out a new service to efficiently provide up-to-date patent data for patent holders or patent professionals monitoring the onbehalf of their clients. “Patent Register Alerts” automatically monitor Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) for your applications or those of competitors.
More specifically, they:
1. Reveal unpublished applications
2. Monitor file history, transaction history and allow you to see continuity data
3. Include an updated graphic (similar to the example below)
4. Minimize your time manually checking patent office websites
5. Allow you to better advise your clients on what’s happening with their competitor’s applications
The only information needed to get started is a publication number (utility, design, or application) or a provisional patent application number.
NOTE: Non-US monitoring of file history changes is available for the EPO, WIPO, Korean Intellectual Property Office, and Japan Patent Office.
Mining Patents for Competitive Intelligence
It’s no secret that many successful companies devote entire departments to Competitive Intelligence research and analysis. At PSG, we have found that patent documents are a rich source of Competitive Intelligence, and we often start with patent research to help our clients get the most bang for their bucks.
We find that many companies assume monitoring Business Intelligence (think everything inside the corporate walls, like sales, manufacturing data, people, suppliers) is sufficient. At the same time, most have never heard of Competitive Intelligence (think everything outside the corporate walls such as competitor patents issued, patent applications filed, industry and market information, technology papers presented or published, newswire announcements, or related industry developments).
Much like a weather forecast based on emerging and adjacent data, Competitive Intelligence provides us the opportunity to identify favorable and unfavorable conditions approaching our businesses. Having this information allows us to leverage it to complement Business Intelligence to reduce risk and identify opportunities in both the short and long terms.
I routinely find the information in patents is a rich source of Competitive Intelligence because:
• Patent research ties together legal, technical, and market information in ways not found in other resources.
• Patent research reveals very timely information as patent applications are required to be filed, and eventually published before the applicant can obtain their desired legal protection.
• The descriptions used are incredibly detailed and contain references to similar resources.
• 80 percent of the information found in patents is not found elsewhere. (A. Trippe, Guidelines for Preparing Patent Landscape Reports, World Intellectual Property Organization [WIPO], 2016)
• Around 5 million patent-related publications are published annually worldwide, and this number is growing by roughly 10 percent every year. (WIPO, World Intellectual Property Indicators 2017, 2017)
• Using global resources provides an incredible breadth and depth of knowledge; this is critical since only 19 percent of the patent applications are currently being filed in the U.S. (World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Intellectual Property Indicators 2017, 2017.)
Predicting and Preparing are Not the Same
Speaking of weather, the February cold snap here in Texas was an eye-opener. With numerous records broken, we experienced below-freezing temperatures in Austin for more than a week. For many warm-weather lovers here, this translated into losing electric power when needed most, losing water supplies, and bursting water pipes once recovery began. Tragically, more than 150 deaths were linked to the Texas freeze.
The storm and aftermath amounted to a black swan event for millions of people. Did we see it coming? Yes, forecasters saw it coming days and even weeks ahead. We could have even predicted the event ten or more years ago, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers reports.
The bottom line is that most were ill-prepared for the consequences. Competitive Intelligence is similar because having data and analysis is meaningless without developing a strategy that includes setting short- and long-term goals.
Before we leave the subject of our freezing weather – our teenagers reminded us that we can still have fun by making snow angels in the front yard. Inspired, we even held a flash mob snowball fight with our neighbors.
What Amazon Resellers Need to Know
We’ve been growing a new-to-us service helping Amazon resellers manage their risk of patent and trademark infringement. Too often, our clients learn of this risk when Amazon slaps on a takedown notice that stops their sales because a competitor complains that their intellectual property is being violated. It’s eye-opening how little legal truth needs to be involved. The typical scenario is for design patent infringement.
You can learn more about leveraging the Amazon Brand Registry in this blog by Andrew Eisenberg, Partner and Patent Attorney at Lee & Hayes in Austin.
Contact us for help understanding your risks as a reseller.
In 2020 Pearson Strategy became a CERTIFIED Veteran Owned Business! Thanks to Jeff King, Toni Moses, and the rest of the National Veteran Business Development Council for guidance through this rigorous vetting process.
Website and Other Service Updates
As the company has evolved, we’ve been streamlining the website Pearson Strategy Group.com to highlight better our leading services, especially research and analysis for every stage of the patent process. Patent Research is by far the most requested service. Our clients love the information that we can provide, especially when they are deciding whether to invest $10,000 in filing a patent.
We’ve also updated the site with additional services such as monetizing patents, recognizing threats and opportunities, and securing referrals through our network. Check it out, and let us know what you think!
Contact Steve at the Pearson Strategy Group
U.S.-based and Veteran Owned
We are glad to discuss your needs and our capabilities at any time, at no risk to you. We will never share your contact information or call you unless you request us to do so.
Call 1-512-466-1450 or email innovate@pearsonstrategy.com
We are proud that most of our clients come from referrals, and we appreciate your confidence.
Our services are guaranteed to meet your expectations.
Leave a Comment